Monday Morning Manager: January 6th, 2014

NEWS AND NOTES

- Let's revisit the offseason, shall we?

- First, Tony Vitello and Check Jeroloman were both out. Vitello took a job at Arkansas and Jeroloman was not renewed.

- The first new coach hired was Zach Ethridge, coming over from UC Santa Barbara. He will coach the hitters and catchers.

- The next and final move was to hire Bill Mosiello from Tennessee, a highly regarded hitting coach who has coached at several different levels of the game. Oh, and guys like Todd Helton refer to him as the "hit doctor", word out of TCU Baseball this fall is this reputation is already paying dividends with the team.

- The diamond Frogs headed out into the college summer leagues and performed remarkably well, including guys like Preston Morrison, Riley Ferrell and Brandon Finnegan who all played with Team USA. Kevin Cron really turned heads in the Cape League.

- This fall, TCU announced phase II of the ongoing renovations and additions to Lupton Stadium, projects that will all be complete prior to the start of the 2014 season.

- The Frog's announced their 2014 schedule this fall, highlighted by a trip to Houston to play in the College Classic.

- Brandon Finnegan and Preston Morrison were both named pre-season All American's.

- The first preseason poll came out, the Collegiate Baseball Writers poll, and it had the Frogs at 19. The only higher Big 12 team was Oklahoma State. Of course, this is the same poll that had TCU #3 in a season where they missed a super regional, so remember: it means nothing.

- Ahead of the 2014 draft, Perfect Game has ranked several Frogs as a top prospect... Frog commit Tyler Kolek checks in at #6 overall, Brandon Finnegan is #7 overall, Kevin Cron is #62 overall, Frog commit Justin Twine is #174, and Frog commit Evan Skoug is #187.

- Looking to the 2015 draft, Perfect Game has Riley Ferrell as the #3 overall draft prospect, Frog commit Ryan Johnson as the #16 prospect, Alex Young as the #68 prospect, Frog commit as the #81 prospect, Mitchell Traver as the #91 prospect and Tyler Alexander as the #146 prospect.

FORMER FROGS

- First, let's remind everybody of the six Frogs who were drafted and signed last summer by professional teams.

- Andrew Mitchell was drafted by the White Sox in the 4th round and signed for $413,000, he spent the summer in the rookie summer league and will likely spend 2014 in either high-A ball or AA (or both).

- Trevor Seidenberger was drafted by the Brewers in the 12th round and signed for $125,000, he also spent the summer in rookie ball and will likely play in high-A or AA next year.

- Paul Hendrix was taken by the Indians in the 18th round and signed for $100,000, he spent 2013 in short season A ball (the "college league"), and will likely see time at that level or high-A in 2014.

- Stefan Crichton was drafted in the 23rd round by the Orioles and signed for $50,000, he also spent 2013 in the rookie league. Crichton could see A or high-A in 2014.

- Jantzen Witte was taken in the 24th round by the Red Sox and spent 2013 with the short season A league. He could see time there again or in the rookie league in 2014. Higher levels are also possible.

- Nick Frey was the final Frog drafted, in the 33rd round, and will get his career started with the Cardinals in 2014, likely spending most of his time in Rookie ball.

- No other Frogs were drafted and only one commitment (Billy McKinney) decided to sign with his drafting team.

- Scott Atchison had an up and down year with the Mets, fighting injury along the way, and was non-tendered on Dec. 2nd. He is a free agent right now, unless he has retired and it hasn't been reported anywhere.

- Tyler Lockwood has left the US to join the German team Heidenheim Heidekoepfe of the German Baseball-Bundesliga. Lockwood was released by the Red Sox after Spring Training this year.

- Matt Carpenter was simply amazing last year, a legit MVP candidate. Andrew Cashner came into his own as a front-line #1 starter and should lead the Padre's staff in 2014. Arrieta bounced around a lot in 2013 and was traded to the Cubs, where he saw a bit of a late season resurgence. He is in the running to make the Cubs rotation out of spring training.

- Bryan Holaday had a good year in AAA for the Tigers and has been penciled in as the #2 catcher for Detroit heading into the 2014 season. He should finally get his big league shot next year.

- Sam Demel pitched in AAA for the Yankees in 2013, and was non-tendered off their 40-man roster this winter. He was signed to a minor league contract this winter by the Dodgers.

- Chad Huffman also played 2013 in AAA for the Cardinals before being released this winter. He has signed a deal with a Japanese team for the 2014 season.

- Matt Curry only played about 30 games with the Pirates this year, mostly at the AA level. He will be looking for a rebound in 2014. Greg Holle had a better year, with the Brewers, also at the AA level. If he can maintain the resolve of a guy like Scott Atchison, he may have a major league career in his future after all.

- Taylor Featherston played a full year in high-A for the Rockies and put up some strong numbers from 2B. Jerome Pena also played a full year in high-A but was not so successful. Kyle Winkler pitched for a full season for the first time as a professional, splitting time between leagues but ending up in A ball. His performance was pretty good, and I am sure the Diamondbacks are interested in fast tracking him to the majors over the next few seasons.

- Josh Elander crushed it for most of 2013, ending the season in high-A. He will likely start their again in 2014. Jason Coats also got in a full season, in A ball, putting up so-so numbers.

- Matt Purke had a resurgent year, pitching at multiple levels including the extended fall league in Arizona. In total, he got in 113 innings in 2013 and I imagine the Nationals will push him hard next year, he is still on the 40-man roster and is still pulling down a solid salary from the Nats. Kyle Von Tungeln also played at multiple levels in 2013, for Colorado, but saw very little production as a result. He continues to struggle tapping into his natural abilities to get the baseball production out. Paul Hendrix spent most of 2013 in A ball, he will likely start there again in 2014.

- Kevin Allen pitched in A ball after a stint in extended spring training, and performed well over 20 games.

- Joseph Weik played 2013 in independent league ball again, this time with the Amarillo Sox of the American Association League.

- Brad Furnish, Erik Miller and Kaleb Merck are all out of baseball. Merck is headed back to school at SMU.

(Name, Team, Separated by highest/final professional level in 2013)

Major Leagues
Jake Arrieta (Cubs)
Scott Atchison (Free Agent)
Matt Carpenter (Cardinals)
Andrew Cashner (Padres)

Triple AAA
Sam Demel (Dodgers)
Bryan Holaday (Tigers)

Double AA
Matt Curry (Pirates)
Greg Holle (Brewers)

High A
Josh Elander (Braves)
Taylor Featherston (Rockies)
Jerome Pena (Orioles)
Matt Purke (Nationals)

Low A
Kevin Allen (Royals)
Jason Coats (White Sox)
Kyle Von Tungeln (Rockies)
Kyle Winkler (Diamondbacks)

Low A Short Season
Paul Hendrix (Indians)

Rookie League
Stefan Crichton (Orioles)
Nick Frey (Cardinals)
Andrew Mitchell (White Sox)
Trevor Seidenberger (Brewers)
Jantzen Witte (Red Sox)

Independent League
Joseph Weik (Amarillo Sox, American Association League)

German Baseball-Bundesliga
Tyler Lockwood (Heidenheim Heidekoepfe)

Japanese Pacific League
Chad Huffman (Chibba Lotte Marines)

Retired/Released
Erik Miller
Brad Furnish
Kaleb Merck

2014 HORNED FROGS

- Fall baseball has concluded, and the annual thinning of the team is complete. TCU always loses a few every year, sometimes to transfer over the summer, sometimes guys decide they would rather live the normal college life instead of playing baseball. Either way, it was a productive fall for the Frogs who came out relatively healthy and ready for spring practice. I plan to interview Schlossnagle about the team soon and we will preview the team by position soon, but for now, here is your 2014 TCU Baseball Roster, sorted by year. New comers are listed below that.

No.	Name	Class	Pos.	B-T	Ht.	Wt.	Hometown	Last School
24	Connor Beck	FR	OF	R/R	6-2	175	Midland, Texas	Midland HS
47	Will Fox	FR	INF	L/R	6-0	150	Montgomery, Texas	Montgomery HS
3	Ty Slanina	FR	OF	L/L	6-0	193	East Bernard, Texas	East Bernard HS
44	Brian Howard	FR	RHP	R/R	6-9	185	St. Louis, Mo.	St. Louis University HS
43	Brandon Gilson	FR	LHP	L/L	6-5	225	Prosper, Texas	Prosper HS
39	Preston Templer	FR	RHP	R/R	6-1	190	Fort Worth, Texas	All Saints Episcopal HS
7	Michael Landestoy	FR	1B	R/R	6-3	172	Santo Domingo, D.R.	Saint George School
37	Walker Pennington	FR	RHP	R/R	6-1	195	Houston, Texas	Memorial HS
9	Eric Garza	FR	INF	R/R	5-11	180	San Antonio, Texas	Ronald Reagan H.S.
35	Robby Medel	FR	RHP	R/R	6-4	170	Arlington, Texas	Bowie HS
25	Will Foreman	FR	C/OF	R/R	5-10	185	Houston, Texas	Lamar HS
13	Tyler Alexander	FR	LHP	L/L	6-3	180	Southlake, Texas	Southlake Carroll HS
17	Ryan Burnett	FR	LHP	L/L	6-2	208	The Woodlands, Texas	The Woodlands HS
33	Mitchell Traver	RS FR	RHP	R/R	6-7	251	Sugar Land, Texas	Houston Christian HS
21	Brian Trieglaff	RS FR	RHP	R/R	6-1	190	Houston, Texas	Houston Christian HS
15	Dylan Delso	SO	C	S/R	5-11	195	Broken Arrow, Okla.	Cowley County College
23	Alex Young	SO	LHP	L/L	6-2	190	Hawthorn Woods, Ill.	Carmel Catholic HS
41	Nick Poulos	SO	RHP	R/R	5-10	170	Pacific Palisades, Calif.	Palisades HS
12	Riley Ferrell	SO	RHP	R/R	6-1	200	College Station, Texas	A&M Consolidated HS
8	Boomer White	SO	OF	R/R	5-8	195	Houston, Texas	Memorial HS
26	Keaton Jones	JR	INF	R/R	6-2	195	Laguna Beach, Calif.	Laguna Beach HS
27	Jordan Kipper	JR	RHP	R/R	6-4	210	Phoenix, Ariz.	Central Arizona College
31	Jerrick Suiter	JR	OF/C	R/R	6-4	235	Valparaiso, Ind.	Valparaiso HS
32	Jeremie Fagnan	JR	OF	L/R	6-2	200	Calgary, Alberta	Midland College
18	Preston Morrison	JR	RHP	R/R	6-2	185	Waxhaw, N.C.	Cuthbertson HS
34	Garrett Crain	JR	INF	S/R	6-0	185	Mustang, Okla.	Rose State College
11	Travis Evans	JR	LHP	L/L	6-1	175	Round Rock, Texas	Round Rock HS
29	Brandon Finnegan	JR	LHP	L/L	5-11	184	Fort Worth, Texas	Southwest HS
4	Connor Castellano	JR	INF	L/R	5-11	190	Shreveport, La.	Santa Fe College
5	Derek Odell	JR	INF	L/R	6-1	185	Canyon, Texas	Canyon HS
1	Cody Jones	JR	OF	S/R	5-11	175	Round Rock, Texas	Temple College
00	Kevin Cron	JR	1B	R/R	6-5	245	Phoenix, Ariz.	Mountain Pointe HS
40	Trey Teakell	RS JR	RHP	R/R	6-5	170	Weatherford, Texas	Weatherford HS
6	Kyle Bacak	SR	C	R/R	5-9	175	Katy, Texas	San Jacinto College
38	Dylan Fitzgerald	SR	OF	L/R	6-1	190	Santa Ana, Calif.	Cypress College

2013 TCU Baseball Newcomers

Tyler Alexander - LHP
Connor Beck - OF
Ryan Burnett - LHP
Connor Castellano - IF
Garrett Crain - IF
Dylan Delso - C
Jeremie Fagnan - OF
Will Foreman - OF/C
Will Fox - OF/IF
Eric Garza - MIF
Brandon Gilson - LHP
Brian Howard - RHP
Jordan Kipper - RHP
Michael Landestoy - IF/OF
Robby Medel - RHP
Walker Pennington - OF/RHP
Ty Slanina - OF
Preston Templer - RHP

COMING SOON

- Season previews, positional previews, and a 3-part interview with Jim Schlossnagle... No guarantees though!

RECRUITING UPDATE

- A reminder, you can always keep up with TCU Baseball recruiting here... I keep all the recruiting classes as up to date as possible, it is always a good place to check.

The Frogs 2014 and 2015 classes are coming together nicely, here are their profiles:

2015 TCU Baseball Commitments

Braden Comeaux
Height/Weight: 6'0"/165 lbs.
High School/Hometown: Alfred M. Barbe HS/Lake Charles, LA
HS Positions: SS, IF
Bats/Throws: R/R
PerfectGame Rankings: Top 150 IF prospect Nationally, top 30 IF, #3 overall prospect from LA.

Notes: Comeaux adds a great bat and defense to the Frog's 2015 class, a highly regarded prospect from LA.

Ethan Franklin
Height/Weight: 6-2/200 lbs.
High School/Hometown: Kountze HS/Evadale, TX
HS Positions: RHP, 3B, OF
Bats/Throws: L/R
PerfectGame Rankings: Top 150 Nationally, Top 25 in Texas

Notes: Top 10 RHP in the Texas 2015 class... Up to 91 with his fastball in PG tournaments... Sits in mid-to-high 80s with FB, also throws CB... Over the top release slot with an athletic build.

Ryan Johnson
Height/Weight: 6-3/200 lbs.
High School/Hometown: College Station HS/College Station, TX
HS Positions: OF, IF
Bats/Throws: L/R
PerfectGame Rankings: Top 5 nationally, #1 recruit in the state of Texas

Notes: Premier level recruit in the 2015 class (Billy McKinney level) with excellent bat speed from the left side, projects as a solid defensive COF and middle of the order bat. Plays for the Texas Scout Team Yankees, both parents are Texas A&M grads.

Dillon Meadows
Height/Weight: 6-1/180 lbs.
High School/Hometown: Paradise HS/Paradise, TX
HS Positions: RHP, IF
Bats/Throws: R/R
PerfectGame Rankings: Top 350 Nationally, Top 50 in Texas

Notes: A rising Texas RHP with a great athletic frame and loose arm action to accompany a high 80s fastball and good slider... Plays for D-Bat Baseball... Keep an eye on this kid.

Devon Roedahl
Height/Weight: 6'2"/190 lbs.
High School/Hometown: West Brook HS/Beaumont, TX
HS Positions: RHP
Bats/Throws: R/R
PerfectGame Rankings: Top 50 prospect nationally, top 15 RHP nationally, top 10 prospect from Texas

Notes: Roedahl is a major name in the 2015 class and was a major get for TCU and recruiting coordinator Kirk Saarloos... Roedahl will be a draft watch next year, with an emerging frame and great stuff.

Joshua Watson
Height/Weight: 5-11/190 lbs.
High School/Hometown: Arlington Martin HS/Arlington, TX
HS Positions: OF, C
Bats/Throws: S/R
PerfectGame Rankings: Top 400 Nationally, Top 50 in Texas

Notes: ...A top 50 catcher nationally and a top 5 catcher from the state of Texas... Power potential bat, solid athlete... Could play C or OF at the next level...

2014 TCU Baseball Commitments

Bradley Barnett (SIGNED LOI)
Height/Weight: 6-0/175 lbs.
High School/Hometown: Rockwall HS/Rockwall, TX
HS Positions: MIF, CIF, DH
Bats/Throws: R/L
PerfectGame Rankings: n/r

Notes: Solid IF commit, plays for the Dallas Patriots

Francisco DeJesus (SIGNED LOI)
Height/Weight: 6-1/215 lbs.
High School/Hometown: McKinney Boyd HS/McKinney, TX
HS Positions: 1B, OF, LHP
Bats/Throws: L/L
PerfectGame Rankings: Top 500 Nationally, Top 50 in Texas

Notes: Big/strong frame, mature physical specimen... Can definitely hit the ball a long way when he makes contact... Future positions are 1B, maybe COF... Plays primarily with Team Citius...

Drew Gooch (SIGNED LOI)
Height/Weight: 5-10/195 lbs.
High School/Hometown: Argyle HS/Argyle, TX
HS Positions: LHP, 1B
Bats/Throws: L/L
PerfectGame Rankings: Top 500 Nationally, Top 75 in Texas

Notes: Top 10 LHP in the state of Texas, top 50 LHP nationally... small frame but solid velocity for his build... high ¾ arm slot with a strong downhill motion... mid to high 80s on the fastball, solid change and developing breaking ball...

Preston Guillory (JUCO) (SIGNED LOI)
Height/Weight: 6-3/190 lbs.
High School/Hometown: Live Oak HS/Denham Springs, LA
JUCO Positions: RHP
Bats/Throws: R/R

Notes: Went JUCO out of HS, played two years at Panola JUCO in Carthage, TX... Appeared in 13 games last spring for Panola, pitching 67 innings with a 4.68 ERA... Was named a 2nd Team All-Conference, invited to the JUCO All-Star Game... Will come to TCU with two remaining years of eligibility...

Jared Janczak (SIGNED LOI)
Height/Weight: 6-1/185 lbs.
High School/Hometown: Belton HS/Temple, TX
HS Positions: OF, RHP, IF
Bats/Throws: R/R
PerfectGame Rankings: Top 500 Nationally, Top 50 in Texas

Notes: Legit two-way prospect, very athletic... Throws in the upper 80s consistently, solid breaking ball, high ¾ release... Plays with the Waco Storm...

Tyler Kolek (SIGNED LOI)
Height/Weight: 6-5/230 lbs.
High School/Hometown: Shepherd HS/Shepherd, TX
HS Positions: RHP, IF
Bats/Throws: R/R
PerfectGame Rankings: Top 5 Nationally, #1 in the state of Texas

Notes: All world RHP in the 2014 class... The #1 RHP in the nation... Throws in the mid-90s consistently, has hit 98-99 on several occasions... Also throws a CB, SL and change... Huge frame... Matt Purke did make it to TCU, will Tyler?

Matt Myers (SIGNED LOI)
Height/Weight: 6-1/195 lbs.
High School/Hometown: Churchill HS/San Antonio, TX
HS Positions: RHP, OF, C
Bats/Throws: R/R
PerfectGame Rankings: Top 300 Nationally, Top 30 in Texas

Notes: Just a solid baseball player who can play all over the field... Probably a RHP at the next level... High 80s FB with a solid CB and a change... Athletic build, high ¾ arm slot...Plays with the South Texas Sliders...

Connor Reich
Height/Weight: 6-0/170 lbs.
High School/Hometown: Hallsville HS/Longview, TX
HS Positions: RHP, OF, IF
Bats/Throws: R/R
PerfectGame Rankings: Top 1000 Nationally, Top 130 in Texas

Notes: Medium frame yet athletic, ¾ arm slot with solid arm action that can work a FB into the mid to high 80s consistently... Fairly projectable guy who already has some pitch-ability... Solid defensive outfielder and solid bat, but will likely be a RHP at the next level...

Evan Skoug (SIGNED LOI)
Height/Weight: 5-11/200 lbs.
High School/Hometown: Libertyville HS/Libertyville, IL
HS Positions: C, IF, OF
Bats/Throws: L/R
PerfectGame Rankings: Top 300 Nationally, Top 10 in Illinois

Notes: Very good and rising catching prospect that has turned heads during the summer (2013) with an advanced feel at the plate... May not be a C at the next level, but his bat and athleticism certainly will... Very solid arm (think Elander) that could play COF or C...

Justin Twine (SIGNED LOI)
Height/Weight: 5-10/195 lbs.
High School/Hometown: Hemphill HS/Hemphill, TX
HS Positions: MIF, OF, RHP
Bats/Throws: S/R
PerfectGame Rankings: Top 50 Nationally, Top 5 in Texas

Notes: Top level MIF prospect in the 2014 class, also a three star football recruit (running back)... Has indicated he will only play baseball in the future... Likely a MIF at the next level, although I could see him at the hot corner as well... Excellent instincts, shows running back "twitchiness" when ranging in the IF... Gap power and tons of bat speed... Would be a major win for TCU to get him on campus...

Kenneth Cullen Vaught
Height/Weight: 5-11/190 lbs.
High School/Hometown: Calallen HS/Corpus Christi, Texas
HS Positions: IF, RHP, C
Bats/Throws: R/R
PerfectGame Rankings: Top 100 3B Nationally, Top 200 Player in Texas

Notes: Smaller IF who shows some hit potential, plays with Action Baseball... Had been committed to Vanderbilt, switcher to TCU this fall...

Austen Wade (SIGNED LOI)
Height/Weight: 6-0/185 lbs.
High School/Hometown: Midland HS/Midland, TX
HS Positions: OF, LHP
Bats/Throws: L/L
PerfectGame Rankings: Top 500 Nationally, Top 50 in Texas

Notes: Solid OF prospect for TCU, good LH bat that flashes some good potential... Prototypical COF at the next level, will add weight and strength as well... Plays for the D-Bat Mustangs....

Connor Wanhanen (SIGNED LOI)
Height/Weight: 6-2/175 lbs.
High School/Hometown: Flower Mound HS/Flower Mound, TX
HS Positions: OF, IF
Bats/Throws: L/R
PerfectGame Rankings: n/r

Notes: Similar to Wade, will need to add strength at the next level but has potential... Plays for the Dallas Tigers...